The founder of the Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, has defended the tuition fees charged by schools owned by the church, describing the provision of quality education as an expensive venture.

Oyedepo said this while addressing journalists on Friday in Ota, Ogun State, at a media chat organised in commemoration of his 60th birthday coming up on September 27, 2014.

Private schools in the country, including Covenant and Landmark universities, owned by the church are often criticised for being too expensive for average Nigerians to afford.

But Oyedepo highlighted some of the church’s humanitarian programmes which include providing scholarships and bursary awards to assist students.

He said, “I’m sure we all agree that education is expensive. Education carries cost; nothing of value is free. Our mission for years long, before we started any university or secondary school, was a bursary awarding church and we have not stopped doing that till tomorrow.”

Oyedepo said that the church was committed to providing quality education to youths, adding that many Nigerians complain about the cost of education in private universities because they have got their priorities misplaced.

“Our problem most of the time is priority; an average Nigerian can spend N1m on burial but to spend N200,000 on education (is a problem), because of wrong priority.

“On a yearly basis, we have N1.5trn that Nigerians spend to overseas universities, so people thrive on it. Nigerians spend N463bn a month on recharge cards, how much are they paying for schools fees? So it’s all a matter of priority. This is the largest market for telephone in the world. Now, to pay N500,000, some people have only one son, they have huge business and houses all over the places, they will never pay it.”

Speaking further, Oyedepo said he had chosen not to respond to the many controversial reports about him on the social media because he considered it as a waste of time.

He said, “My understanding of opposition, persecution is simply someone’s opinion harshly expressed. Everybody has a right to his opinion. Today, millions follow after Christ but you will be surprised that when you get to Israel some people do not believe that Christ has come.

“People have rights to their opinions. I naturally don’t feel it’s necessary (to respond). The energy I would need to react, I can use it to make moves. I have enough to think about than start running after a man who says you are a fool.

“If he says you are a fool and you are behaving so, then he’s right. If you leave your job and start pursuing somebody who says you are a fool, he has already said so, your going around doesn’t change it. So why going around, why don’t you settle on your job and make moves?

“I’ve also come to understand that those who make news hardly watch them, they are so busy making news while others are busy watching.”

Asked about the challenges he has faced in life and in his ministry, Oyedepo said he had never dwelled on his challenges but that he has rather been fuelled by them.

He said, “Life essentially is full of challenges, it is those challenges that make champions. You can’t emerge a heavy weight boxing champion except you receive punches. You can’t change classes in school except you write exams.

“So to me, life is an adventure in challenges and I’ve said often that it is normal to be challenged but it’s unscriptural to be defeated. Challenges are the stepping stones for the making of champions.”

Read more @ http://newsnownigeria.com.ng/nigerians-spent-millions-to-host-parties-but-to-pay-200000-school-is-a-problem-oyedepo/

''An average Nigerian...''?? I don't think so!

Ok, an ''Average Nigerian'' also can spend Billions of Naira to acquire a private jet, but can not make education free and cheap for his people. How about that??

If not that he is a man of God, I would have said something bad but lemme just respect that fact

Yes....an average nigerian and over average nigerian can afford even more dan a million naira for burial,birthday,naming,house warming, and watever ceremony they can think of......
Buh wot apun 2 an under average Nigerians who cant afford a dime for all diz ceremonies.......i guess they shld go and die...

God can give his only begotten son to d whole world buh 2 u dat'z a bullshit coz ur skul iz meant 4 an average nigerian and nt d whole nigeria at large.........nice one

i fink i understand d kynd of convenant u had wit God b4 u came up with diz so called convenant university......GRACIAS

Pastor OLEDEPO. Another member of the Con-men Association of Nigeria (CAN).

You spend miilions of naira servicing your various private jets, while some of your dedicated church members are on my fb asking me for money.

Only in Nigeria do certified fraudsters like you, OLEJAFUCK, et al, thrive in Nigeria. Come to the UK. Oh! I forgot! Your fraudulent, child assault self has been banned from coming into the UK.

"Average Nigerian" Thief.!!!

Why is this man sounding so clueless Who are the Nigerians spending those amounts of monies he mentioned?? Definitely not those living in slums scattered all across the country or in the villages, people that constitute the bulk of the population of the country.
I doubt the people pushing those figures he mentioned complain about ANYTHING FINANCIAL in life.

This man should not piss us off jor.

What is the par centage of Nigerians that throw party?

Speaking further, Oyedepo
said he had chosen not to
respond to the many
controversial reports about
him on the social media
because he considered it as a
waste of time.

i would have loved to ask him some questions but he wouldn't answer me since he has made up his mind not to do so.

Nigeria pastors be so quick to oppress the poor!
I wonder kind of doctrine all this nigeria mog being practicing...
Smh...
Mxtchewwwwwww...

Some self acclaimed Men of God are far from reality. This is very typical of Materialistic Pastors. #Catholic till I die...

Where are we heading to or where are we coming from. Any rich man who is having a lot of money will assume that every body is rich. Which is false.

The same way we spend billions in tithes, donations and sowing of seeds to them pastors

Please define "average" sir? Cos out the 170+ million Nigerians, only a handful can afford the excesses mentioned above

Adindupeter: Some self acclaimed Men of God are far from reality. This is very typical of Materialistic Pastors. #Catholic till I die...

u are very lazy....I love u Mr David Oyedepo

He should say that "the elites of this country spent millions on parties.." and not average Nigerians. There are A LOT of Nigerian students in public institutions that their parents monthly income is not up to 18k

To me, the society we live in encourages every kind of things and oppression of the people. These are monies generated through tithes, offerings, donations etc from thousands of worshipers over time. But how many of them can afford this school fees? If u ask me, for churches to start diverting their attention from the sole aim of preparing souls for heaven into business and money making ventures is wrong. because it will lead to greed, oppression, ungodly practices etc.

I feel like slapping that niqqa for talking ignant sh1t,he had better be rejoicing the UK didn't indict him over the discover fraud and only banned him,same fraud is what he's still orchestrating here in nigerian,the government feel unconcerned.

David Oledepo- scamming his congregation since 1940.

Proud to be Cathoilc joor!

Not all Nigerians can/do spend millions on parties and of course those that can do send off their wards to private universities.

Though I support quality education, I'll not go as far as putting down others for not being able to gather 200 grand for school fees.

Insensitive comments from Oyedepo again.

I guess he doesn't understand that the word "average" is always misleading. For example, out of ten persons, one has a million Naira and each of the rest has 10,000 Naira each. Going by the word "average", each of those ten guys now has 109,000 Naira since they all have 1.09 Million Naira combined.

Oyedepo, remember that you and your likes are supposed to focus on providing and helping the less-privileged get out of life challenges especially where our government has failed but you're instead compounding the problems of the common man.

Continue to be "gods of men" instead of "men of God" and let's see where it will take you.

It would have made some sense if he was defending his high school fees from another perspective rather than this. Maybe pastor needs to recheck his statistics to know how many Nigerian parents have upto a million naira let alone throwing party that worth dat much. The truth still lies in the fact that his schools are not for the common street man, and a good percentage of his followers are unable to afford the cost of schooling in his universities.

datguru: If not that he is a man of God, I would have said something bad but lemme just respect that fact

man of God with 3 private jat abi,dont let ur faith blind u bro,what has he done to help xrians suffering in borno,even atiku a muslim offered those escaped girls schorlaship

yemaldo:
man of God with 3 private jat abi,dont let ur faith blind u bro,what has he done to help xrians suffering in borno,even atiku a muslim offered those escaped girls schorlaship

That's why I said I'm reserving my comment just because of that word MOG

man of God with 3 private jat abi,dont let ur faith blind u bro,what has he done to help xrians suffering in borno,even atiku a muslim offered those escaped girls schorlaship

DaWorshiper: Ok, an ''Average Nigerian'' also can spend Billions of Naira to acquire a private jet, but can not make education free and cheap for his people. How about that??

Don't mind those Gluttons !! .....

If Jesus collected no kobo for Salvation and thus salvation could be free then what is Education ?

Glutton pastors !!

datguru: If not that he is a man of God, I would have said something bad but lemme just respect that fact

man of God with 3 private jat abi,dont let ur faith blind u bro,what has he done to help xrians suffering in borno,even atiku a muslim offered those escaped girls schorlaship

What a pathetic man of God

@Pastor Oyedepo

After succeeding in the business of establishing a university like covenant where minimum school fees is 200 000 naira

Why not use the proceeds to establish another university where minimum school fees is 100 000 naira but with twice the population.

And if you succeed in breaking even(making profit), you then build the third university where minimum school fees is 50 000 naira but with 4 times the capacity.


One thing about God is that sometimes he shows you a way to bring glory to him and honour to you through helping people but expects you to ask him how you can be useful to Him in ensuring that His help expand in those already helped or reach out to others who are yet to be helped.


Pastor Oyedepo

If you ask God how you can establish a university for the very poor, he will reveal it to you.

The issue is

" Do you care for the poor sheep as Peter" Jesus

berem: David Oledepo- scamming his congregation since 1940.

Proud to be Cathoilc joor!

This thing is a Catholic?? Naah m leaving the Catholic church • • Can't even spell Catholic